FAQs

Short answer: we deliver unprecedented insight to improve recruiting, enrollment, retention, financial aid, and alumni relations.

Managing universities throughout the current financial crisis:

• Rising cost of education (33% over the past decade)
• Enrollment and retention challenges
  • Reduced student pipeline due to economic downturns
  • Increased accessibility to alternative education options
  • Increased number of low income and non-white student segments requiring financial aid
• Fixed cost universities
  • Administrative and operational costs
  • Competition to capture state and federal aid

• Data driven university management culture
• Experiencing budget constraints
• Lacking resources (people, money, time)
• Understands that higher-ed is undergoing technological changes throughout financial crisis
• Committed to recruiting and retaining the correct students and being budget conscious

Competing solutions include in-house development of data driven enrollment, retention, alumni engagement, and financial aid budgeting solutions, engaging with existing consulting firms, or implementing new Software-as-a-Service solutions.

Short answer: better, decision-focused technologies balanced with limited consulting yields faster results (average less than 30 days) with rapid intervention strategies. We have found the optimal balance between advanced data science technology and consultation services for easy implementation of strategic university initiatives. SightLine solutions are:

• Cost, time, and resource effective
• Easy to implement with a minimal learning curve
• High value with advanced predictive analytics

Short answer: As a whole but interfacing with multiple departments.

SightLine provides a layout for the necessary data fields (excel spreadsheet) along with optional Banner/Oracle consulting support. We also tailor data fields to individual university populations as requested by university leaders.

SightLine does not have a required time for you to deliver the material for initial model development. The timeline is driven by when you expect to implement our solution.

We can provide the first version of the predictive analytics report within 2-3 weeks of receiving the data. The 2-3 week period is concluded with a meeting to review findings and discuss any updates or customization the university would like, which will be implemented within 1 week.

All models are validated before they are deployed. We train the models on data from the past 3-5 years and validate the models on the most recent complete semester's data. We monitor and validate all predictions and insights the university uses during their operations. We can also update models each year to ensure we capture any temporal changes.

SightLine’s proprietary model development processes and methodologies are the same across universities, but the analytical goals, output metrics, and variables associated with the analysis are tailored to each university. SightLine solutions are adapted to support existing university resources and processes.

SightLine has found a balance between technology and a consulting service, minimizing the learning curve associated with implementing advanced predictive analytics and machine learning capabilities into semesterly university operations.

SightLine deliverables include local excel and html files, eliminating the need for software installation. We also provide optional consulting services for more tailored projects. After we configure the predictive algorithms, reports, and insights to specific university needs, a decision can be made to purchase new reports on an annual basis for new forecasts as data is updated each semester.